Fox 16 Touts JT/Lucas Bout

D1 co-owner Jermain Taylor has accepted the challenge to square off with former Arkansas Razorback receiver Anthony Lucas on Friday, January 16 with donations going towards the D1 Foundation. Doors will open at 6:30 pm and the event will begin at 7 pm at D1 Sports Training and Therapy off of Cantrell Road. The event is free to the public, with donations raised in each competitors name for the D1 Foundation, which gives underprivileged children the opportunity at top-flight training. Read the whole story here.

D1's Dickey Signs with Twins

Knuckleball pitcher RA Dickey, who works out at D1 regularly during the offseason, signed with the Minnesota Twins. The MLB veteran pitched for the Seattle Mariners last year and picked the Twins over going back to Seattle. He said, "They seemed to be the team that had the most interest in me," Dickey said on Wednesday. "Not only that, they also seemed to have a real plan for how they want to use me. More than the other teams." Read more here.

Manning In Line for NFL's MVP Award

D1 co-owner Peyton Manning only played for one possession on Sunday, but that was all he needed to impact the Colt's regular season finale as they shut out the Titans 23-0. Manning was 7 for 7 during the nine play possession for 95 yards giving him a perfect passer rating of 158.3 for the fifth time in his career. Manning is quickly establishing himself as a viable candidate for the NFL Most Valuable Player Award this year, finishing the regular season with 4,002 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 95.0 quarterback rating. Congratulations Peyton!

McClain Emerges as a Dual Purpose Player

"I'm just a back. I just get my opportunities to start. Tailback? Fullback? It doesn't matter," says Le'ron McClain, current Baltimore Raven and a member of the 2007 D1 Combine class. In his time with the Ravens, McClain has more proven his ability to adapt to whatever position necessary to benefit his team. In his entire college career, McClain had only 37 rushing attempts, but after the first two games of the 2008 season he already had 36 carries. In the past several games he has become Baltimore's go-to back, averaging 21 carries and 80 yards rushing a game. During last the recent game against the Cowboys he rushed 22 times for 139 yards and scored a touchdown to help the Ravens top the Cowboys 33-25. He also caught one pass for four yards. Way to go Le'Ron! Keep up the good work!

Vote for Jason Jones for GMC Sierra Def. Player of the Week

D1 Combine Athlete Jason Jones posted 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and five tackles in the Titans 31-14 victory over Pittsburgh. Fans can vote for one of these five players on NFL.com/gmc now through Thursday at 3 p.m. CT to determine the GMC Sierra Defensive Player of the Week. The winner will be announced Thursday evening on NFL.com.

Rivers Keeps Hope Alive for the Chargers

A tough season has left the San Diego Chargers with a disappointing 7-8 record, but quarterback Philip Rivers' stellar performance against the Bucs on Sunday will give the Chargers on last shot at the AFC West title. The D1 Huntsville co-owner was 21 of 31 for 287 yards and had a career high 4 touchdowns. Rivers averaged 9.3 yards per pass, completed passes to 7 different receivers, and had 3 different receivers score. The momentum that he contributed to the team allowed them to score the most points of any team on the Bucs in 15 years, and gave the Chargers a 41-24 victory over Tampa Bay. Rivers will take on the Denver Broncos on Dec. 28 in a winner-take-all showdown for the AFC West title.

Jones Has Career Day Against Steelers

Former D1 combine athlete and Tennesse Titans defensive tackle, Jason Jones, had the best game of his rookie season on Sunday as the Titans locked up the top seed in the AFC. Jones came in for veteran Albert Haynesworth who sprained his MCL last week. Jones did not disappoint as he had the franchise's second-best sack outing since 1982 when the NFL made sacks an official statistic. Jones recorded four tackles, three and a half sacks, and forced two fumbles which resulted in two turnovers by the Steelers. "I knew I could help out, but I didn't think it would come like this," Jones said. "Everything just happened so fast out there and it opened up. I am just blessed." Congratulations on the game, Jason! All of us at D1 are eagerly awaiting the match up next week between the Titans and D1 co-owner Peyton Manning and his Colts.

KNOCK OUT vs. GO ROUTE

Come out Friday, January 16th to the D1 Little Rock facility to see Jermain "Bad Intentions" Taylor battle Anthony Lucas for a showdown of the ages. The Grand Opening event starts at 6:30pm and the Battle will follow at 7:00pm. Who will you root for...Knock Out or Go Route??

D1 Athletes and Co-Owners Selected to Pro Bowl

Congratulations goes out to four D1 athletes and two co-owners who have made the 2009 NFL Pro Bowl! Chris Hope (Titans -Strong Safety), Albert Haynesworth (Titans- Defensive Tackle), and Le'Ron McClain (Ravens- Fullback) have all trained at D1 and were selected to play for the AFC team. They will be playing against D1 athlete, Jason Witten (Cowboys- Tight End)

who made the NFC team.

D1 co-owner, Peyton Manning (Colts - QB), was selected as the starting quarterback for the AFC team and will play along side future co-owner, Alan Faneca (Jets - Offensive Guard) who also earned a starting position.

D1 will be watching these guys play in Hawaii...Congrats!

Congrats Phillip and Amy Parham!

D1 Congratulates Phillip and Amy Parham on their transformation during The Biggest Loser: Families season finale! Both contestants looked great and came so close to the $100,000 prize. Click here to see Phillip and Amy's transformation on NBC.com.

"The Biggest Loser: Families" Season Finale

Tonight is the season finale of The Biggest Loser: Families, and D1 is excited to see the final weight loss for Phillip and Amy Parham who have been training at the Greenville facility. Phillip was voted off the show in week seven after losing 62 pounds, while Amy was eliminated a week earlier. The finale airs on NBC tonight at 7pm CST. Let's cheer on Phillip and Amy as they weigh in for the final time!

Combine Athletes Arrive at D1

The 2009 Combine Class has begun to arrive at D1 Nashville for training with Kurt Hester. Three athletes; Troy Kropog an offensive tackle from Tulane, TJ Lang an offensive tackle from Eastern Michigan, and Ellix Wilson a linebacker from Tennessee have been working on their speed and strength techniques for the 40 yard dash, which is one of the key drills at the 2009 NFL Combine. Their training involves three sessions a day with Kurt doing a variety of drills, stretches, and weight lifting. D1 is looking forward to seeing the improvement in these guys and watching them during the NFL Combine! Good Luck!

Baseball Athletes Training During Offseason

Two minor league baseball players are training at D1 Greenville in the offseason. Zach Brown, a first baseman in the Padres system, and Taylor Harbin, a middle infielder in the Diamondbacks system, will be getting ready for next season at the Greenville facility. Zach was drafted in the 27th round after playing for the Citadel, and Taylor was drafted in the 8th round out of Clemson. D1 is looking forward to seeing these guys working out...Iron Sharpens Iron!

Chris Brown Signs with Dolphins

Chris Brown, member of the D1 2008 Combine class, was recently picked up by the Miami Dolphins as a fullback on the practice squad. Chris caught 92 passes for 736 yards and eight touchdowns as a tight end during his career at the Univeristy of Tennessee. After college, he signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars before making the switch to the Dolphins. D1 wishes Chris the best of luck in Miami!

D1 Athlete Making an Impact for Florida State

David Spurlock, who trained at D1 Nashville with Wil Santi this past summer, earned a starting position at right guard for the Florida State Seminoles this season. David, a true freshman out of Riverdale High School in Murfreesboro,TN, started the second half of the season in addition to starting the first game of the year. After an 8-4 season, the Seminoles will be playing in the Champs Sports Bowl December 27th against Wisconsin. D1 wishes David the best of luck and will be cheering on #79! Check out the video below of David training at D1.

D1 Little Rock Featured in Arkansas Sports 360

Sports magazine, Arkansas Sports 360, featured the new D1 Little Rock facility in their December 1st edition. The article highlights the facility's combination of therapy and training all under one roof. Also emphasized in the article was the type of training that athletes receive at D1. They are not just lifting weights, D1 athletes work out on the turf, work on their core, and are really training like a Division I athlete would train. Click here to check out the Arkansas Sports 360 aticle!

Memphis Athletes Make Big Strides

D1 Combine athlete and Memphis native, DeAngelo Williams, ran all over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense on Monday night as the Panthers won 38-23. DeAngelo rushed for a career-high 186 yards and two touchdowns. The Panthers clinched the NFC South division with the win, and D1 wishes DeAngelo the best of luck in the rest of the season!

D1 is also proud to see Memphis co-owner, Shane Battier, back on the court after recovering from ankle surgery. The former Olympian and All-American at Duke joined the Houston Rockets after starting his NBA career with the Memphis Grizzlies. Shane has played in the last 5 out of 6 games since coming back and already averages 9.4 points per game. Keep up the good work Shane!

D1 Knoxville Announces Inaugural Character Athlete Winner

EFFORT was the word of the month for November at D1 Knoxville and one athlete stood out above all others. His name is Chase Cunningham and he is the first ever recipient of the Character Athlete of the Month Award. Chase began quarterback training in 2005 as a 7 year old and is trainer Dunstan Kendrick's only athlete who has continued his training without taking any time off.

Here is what Dunstan had to say about Chase...
"What separates Chase from the other athletes at D1 is the continuous Effort he brings with him every time he steps onto the turf at D1. Always at least 10 minutes early to his session, Chase's family also deserves a great amount of credit for the amount of Effort they put into helping Chase achieve his dreams. As a result of his continuous Effort, Chase led his youth football team to a perfect 10-0 championship this season."

D1 Congratulates Chase on his EFFORT! Way to go!

Listen to William Henry in Greenville

Check out D1 Facility Coordinator William Henry on The Drive 104.9 from 12-2 pm EST on Friday's and some Monday's. William played at Clemson from 1999-2003 and then had stints with the Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks, and the Frankfurt Galaxy in NFL Europe.

PrepChamps Features D1 Tip

Check out Director of Training Kurt Hester on PrepChamps.com as he breaks down the body mechanics for an athlete trying to improve speed.

D1 Athletes Shine and Make History

If D1 had an MVP of the week award, it would go to these two players hands down!

Tyler Smith, who has trained at D1 Huntsville, made history for the University of Tennessee men's basketball program in a win over UNC-Asheville Wednesday night. Tyler had the program's first ever triple-double with 12 points,10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Click here to read more.

NFL Rookie and D1 2008 Combine athlete, Peyton Hillis, had a career best rushing game for the Broncos against the New York Jets this past Sunday. Peyton rushed 22 times for 129 yards and a touchdown as the Broncos ended the Jets five game winning streak. He is featured in Week 13's Rookie Spotlight and received honors from nflplayers.com. Click here to read more about Peyton.

Bartholomew Upbeat About Kiffin

The Tennessean caught up with Will Bartholomew again about Lane Kiffin. Check out what the Tennessean said about Fulmer and Kiffin below or click here.

Fulmer’s lengthy tenure was a key reason he was able to recruit so well. It helped land former Montgomery Bell Academy standout Will Bartholomew, who played for UT’s national championship team in 1998. Bartholomew is currently the CEO of D1 Sports Training in Franklin and his younger brother, Ben, is a freshman fullback for UT.

“I think (Kiffin) can serve the university well from a recruiting standpoint,” Will Bartholomew said. “It can help the team (to) hopefully have a long-term guy. Mike Hamilton and the rest of the university would like a guy being there for a long time. If Lane comes in there and does well, he will be able to do that.”

D1 Coach Signs with Arena Football Team

D1 Nashville coach, Fred Amano, just signed a contract to play linebacker with the Chicago Rush Arena Football team. Fred played football at San Diego State and moved to Nashville to join his brother, Eugene Amano, who plays for the Tennessee Titans. He has been working out and coaching at the D1 facility since graduation. D1 wishes Fred the best of luck in Chicago!!

PrepChamps Announces Football Combines

PrepChamps has announced the 2009 Elite Combine Camp schedule and D1 has made the list for several locations! The Combine will be open to any high school Varsity football player. Athletes will receive skill demonstrations, testing, and good competition to help showcase their talents and improve exposure to college coaches and recruiters. Here is the list of PrepChamps Combine Camps coming to your local D1 facility!

Feb. 21 - Chattanooga
Feb. 28 - Nashville

April 4 - Huntsville

May 2 - Little Rock

Click here to get more information. D1 looks forward to seeing all football athletes at the Combines!